Atop Connecticut’s state Capitol building, Captain John Mason, depicted in his 1637 attack on the Pequots in Mystic, is enshrined among the state’s founding fathers. Mason led the massacre that nearly extinguished the native tribe and preceded the establishment of the self-governing colony.
Since then, no Native American has been included in the elected government of Connecticut, until Jan. 21, when state Rep. Larry Pemberton Jr., a member of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, was sworn in.
“I feel proud to be Eastern Pequot,” he said, noting the significance of his role. “Proud to be a state representative and proud to represent my district.”
Representing the 139th district including Norwich, Ledyard and Montville, Pemberton was elected to fill the seat left vacant by the death of Rep. Kevin Ryan.
House Majority Leader Jason Rojas said in an email that Pemberton’s election to the legislature reflects “meaningful progress” for the state.
“Rep. Pemberton’s voice, leadership, and lived experience will make our work stronger and more inclusive,” Rojas said. “His swearing-in marks an important step forward in ensuring Native persons perspectives are reflected in the policymaking process, and his deep commitment to public service and to his community will be invaluable as we work together to move our state forward.”
Rojas said that Ryan would be “incredibly proud to see Rep. Pemberton being sworn in.”
Lawrence Wilson III, the chairman of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation, said he is proud of Pemberton.
“The important thing is that it keeps visible all of the Indian tribes in the state,” he said. “It keeps them present in the minds of the legislature.”
Rep. Larry Pemberton Jr., a Montville Democrat is the first Native American to serve in the legislature. He is pictured with some councilors and members of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation. (Submitted by Pemberton.)
A part of him
Pemberton said his heritage embodies his life.
“I think we all should have a history of where we come from,” he said. “I am proud of the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation because it’s part of who I am.”
He said the tribe is important to him on many levels.
“We come together as much as we can to honor our ancestors,” Pemberton said. “We sing songs. We do a lot of cultural things.”
The Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation is located on one of the earliest tribal reservations in the country in Stonington, according to information on the tribe’s website.
“Despite colonial encroachment and occasional skirmishes with local landholders and colonial authorities, Eastern Pequot tribal members have managed to stay on the reservation, living, hunting, growing crops, basket making, holding traditional gatherings, and maintaining a unique identity as a Native people and as Eastern Pequots for over three hundred years,” the tribe’s website said.
Wilson said the towns of Mystic, North Stonington, Norwich and New London would be vastly different without the diverse social and economic contributions of the Eastern Pequot tribe.
“We have blended well, nicely into society,” Wilson said. “We continue to make contributions to the region whether it is social, economic, or in terms of history and education.”
A historic election
Chris Newell, the director of the Native American cultural program at the University of Connecticut, said Pemberton’s presence changes the conversation in the legislature. He said he never expected to see such a historic change in his lifetime.
For example, he said, ”If the conversation is about a law about the tribes, that means you’re going to have now a member of one of these tribes actually present in the room with the same voting power as everybody else.
“That’s the tremendous change that I see happening,” he said.
Newell said Connecticut has lionized “parts of history they probably shouldn’t and they are part and parcel to the elimination of Native American people from the mind of the Connecticut resident. That is changing.”
He referred to the statue of Mason in the Capital, who led the Pequot massacre, which occurred in 1637 when colonial and Mohegan forces killed an estimated 500 Pequot men, women and children in present-day Groton.
It was not until 2021 that the legislature voted to mandate Native American history as part of Connecticut schools’ curriculum. The law instructed school districts to implement Native American studies beginning with the 2023–24 school year. The curriculum is in collaboration with the Golden Hill Paugussett, Mashantucket Pequot, Mohegan, Eastern Pequot and Schaghticoke tribes in the state.
Further, Newell said that historical markers in towns in the state do not reflect the contributions of the tribes, reflecting another area where their contributions are not noted.
“They only tell the history of Connecticut from a colonial perspective,” he said.
The state aimed but failed to pass legislation last year that would condemn the Treaty of Hartford, which in 1638 directed that Pequots who survived the war be sold into slavery.
Overcoming discrimination
Pemberton said discrimination is something that he has endured during his life as a Black person and Native American.
“We don’t get treated really well as Native Americans,” he said. “A lot of people will want to question our bloodline. You constantly have to try to defend who you are.”
He said that Native Americans are an important part of Connecticut’s history.
“We have been here the whole time,” he said.
Newell said Native Americans per capita have participated in the U.S. military more than any other group of people in the entire country going back to the Revolutionary War.
“Many of them are oftentimes forgotten about,” he said. “Native contributions militarily are oftentimes overlooked.”
He said Native Americans also made significant contributions to the industrial revolution, referring to the work of the Mohawk ironworkers on major high rises. He said both the Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods casinos owned by Connecticut tribes have contributed more than $9 billion to the state’s economy.
Wilson said the Connecticut legislature serves an important purpose in pushing back on the “injustices being created in Washington.”
“We need to push back and be able to find a way to express our own ideas to counter the attacks and the unfairness going on,” he said.
Affordability
Before coming to the legislature, Pemberton said he worked as a limousine driver for years. He said he enjoyed meeting a number of people and learning about their stories.
“I love listening to people’s stories, love listening to how they live,” the 52-year old said. “These things are important to me.”
Pemberton said the most important issue he hopes to address in the legislature is affordability.
“It’s tough for people,” he said.
As a father of four, Pemberton said he wasn’t “always able to afford things as I can now.”
He said it is important to address issues of affordability particularly for the many people who struggle to get necessities such as a pair of shoes for their children.
“I’ve experienced how hard it can be to live,” he said. “And it’s because things were expensive.”
